Cops turn mentors for auto drivers

Auto drivers from Juhu area have visited the local police station a number of times in the past six months, not because of any law and order issue, but to get crash lessons in vigilance, lending a helping hand to distressed passengers and reporting suspicious activities.

A team of cops, under the leadership of DCP (Zone 9) Paramjit Singh Dahiya and Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, conducted a meeting with around 35 auto drivers at Juhu police station on Saturday as a part of the ongoing public outreach programme.

According to a senior police officer, similar initiatives will be rolled out at other police stations as well.

"So far, over the course of six months, we have conducted four such meetings at the Juhu station. From 10 to 15 drivers attending the meetings, the number has now increased to nearly 40," said senior police inspector PS Wavhal.

The aim of such sessions, explained ACP Bhargude who was also present at the meeting, is to "remove fear from their minds and encourage them to report unlawful activities to us".

Anecdotes at the meeting included an instance of a top director's assistant insisting on rewarding a driver for returning a passenger's valuables by taking his measurements for a new uniform. The area does, after all, has 58 celebrities, including those from the Hindi film industry, as residents.

Drivers were also given tips on maintaining discipline, law and order on the roads, solving disputes amicably, helping passengers keep a track of their luggage and keeping their ears and eyes open for the signs of any terrorist attack. "If you feel suspicious on overhearing your passengers' conversations, bring them directly to the police station," a police officer advised the drivers.

Citing the example of a previous bomb blast where terrorists, reportedly, travelled by taxis before planting bombs in local trains, the officers reminded the drivers that they were the police's "additional force on the roads".

The response, so far, has been encouraging, said the officer.

"I get 15 to 20 calls from drivers everyday. There are instances when passengers get into autos in an inebriated state or fall sick and the drivers, not knowing what to do, bring them here. They have returned passengers' lost valuables as well."

Such drivers are rewarded by the police appropriately, sometimes with a certificate.

Prabhakar Chandrakar, one of the drivers at the meeting, recalled the incident when a woman passenger was duped by another driver and dropped off at SV Road instead of Chowpatty. "I ensured that she reached home safely," he said.

Another driver, Sanjeev Kumar Mandal, explained that the meetings were a good way to know about safety rules - for themselves and the passengers. "In some cases, we are able to help the police and contribute to the society," he added.